I'd guess that The Onion went with the Br'er Rabbit story for a few reasons:
*Bush is from the South and the vernacular is also how'd you'd write "hick"
* Br'er Rabbit stories were often used as a metaphor while describing Bush's presidency, especially his foreign policy. It's tough to find editorials from 20 years ago, but here's one from 2003 that alludes to Iraq as a briar patch
I always thought that these metaphors were fitting, especially the "tar baby" one. The image of Bush shortsightedly attacking a foe and being unable to extricate himself afterwards is evocative of Iraq and Afghanistan. There's a lot of discourse from ~2000-2012 about the use of these metaphors and whether they're racist. It fell out of favor sharply once Obama was in office. Personally, I'd put it in the same category as "niggardly" or "shooting one's wad" - which could be used innocuously but invite accusations from people unfamiliar with the term. That's how I'd read the earlier Onion mention of Br'er Rabbit, which refers to him and a Mark Twain character as "archetypes that, on the surface, appear to be racist" but are not. That's why Howard University academics remove him from the actually racist depictions.
My criticism for the article would be based more on the first point - it's pretty lazy to just depict Bush as hick. I think the articles that satirize him by depicting him as something he's not (like leading troops from the front) or an erudite host(Bush Regales Dinner Guests With Impromptu Oratory On Virgil's Minor Works) as more biting
Appreciate this reply! I gotta say, this is an instance where I'm perfectly fine having Br'er Rabbit be a gap in my knowledge! I'm from New England, after all, so I grew up with a firewall between me and most Southern things.
I think what confused me in 2024 is The Onion going so hard on the vernacular, almost as a replacement for better jokes. Like, "Nation's Liberals Suffering From Outrage Fatigue" is very dated to mid-2004, but at least the many references and name-drops would connect with readers in the moment. Also, if The Onion were from the South, I'd also understand.
And yeah, I'm on the same page with the "Bush as hick" jokes. They're not unique to The Onion in any way. Fine to mix them in, but they don't stick in most people's brains the way the Virgil one does.
Oh, the Big Dig! I literally live next door to an in-progress transit project that's like $4 billion over budget and years past due, so I know this all too well.
Anyways, that Romney story is interesting to me because I think I can understand certain older Americans only knowing certain connotations of the phrase. For me, I probably had a vague sense this term was used in racist ways, but I'm not sure I could have located it in my brain until I re-read this Onion story. So maybe that's why I had such a negative reaction. Like, don't teach me new words like that, Onion!
I'd guess that The Onion went with the Br'er Rabbit story for a few reasons:
*Bush is from the South and the vernacular is also how'd you'd write "hick"
* Br'er Rabbit stories were often used as a metaphor while describing Bush's presidency, especially his foreign policy. It's tough to find editorials from 20 years ago, but here's one from 2003 that alludes to Iraq as a briar patch
https://www.outsidethebeltway.com/the_briar_patch/
and you can search this transcript to find a C-Span caller referencing Bush sticking his fist into a tar baby:
https://www.c-span.org/video/?181980-3/us-policy-iraq
The NYT used briar patch in reference to domestic policy here:
https://www.nytimes.com/2002/07/23/us/washington-talk-in-briar-patch-of-advise-and-consent-safety-first.html
I always thought that these metaphors were fitting, especially the "tar baby" one. The image of Bush shortsightedly attacking a foe and being unable to extricate himself afterwards is evocative of Iraq and Afghanistan. There's a lot of discourse from ~2000-2012 about the use of these metaphors and whether they're racist. It fell out of favor sharply once Obama was in office. Personally, I'd put it in the same category as "niggardly" or "shooting one's wad" - which could be used innocuously but invite accusations from people unfamiliar with the term. That's how I'd read the earlier Onion mention of Br'er Rabbit, which refers to him and a Mark Twain character as "archetypes that, on the surface, appear to be racist" but are not. That's why Howard University academics remove him from the actually racist depictions.
My criticism for the article would be based more on the first point - it's pretty lazy to just depict Bush as hick. I think the articles that satirize him by depicting him as something he's not (like leading troops from the front) or an erudite host(Bush Regales Dinner Guests With Impromptu Oratory On Virgil's Minor Works) as more biting
Appreciate this reply! I gotta say, this is an instance where I'm perfectly fine having Br'er Rabbit be a gap in my knowledge! I'm from New England, after all, so I grew up with a firewall between me and most Southern things.
I think what confused me in 2024 is The Onion going so hard on the vernacular, almost as a replacement for better jokes. Like, "Nation's Liberals Suffering From Outrage Fatigue" is very dated to mid-2004, but at least the many references and name-drops would connect with readers in the moment. Also, if The Onion were from the South, I'd also understand.
And yeah, I'm on the same page with the "Bush as hick" jokes. They're not unique to The Onion in any way. Fine to mix them in, but they don't stick in most people's brains the way the Virgil one does.
It pops up in bizarre places! Here's Mitt Romney calling "the Big Dig" a tar baby in 2006:
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/romney-apologizes-for-tar-baby/
Complaining about the big dig is about as New England as you can get without involving a lobster.
Oh, the Big Dig! I literally live next door to an in-progress transit project that's like $4 billion over budget and years past due, so I know this all too well.
Anyways, that Romney story is interesting to me because I think I can understand certain older Americans only knowing certain connotations of the phrase. For me, I probably had a vague sense this term was used in racist ways, but I'm not sure I could have located it in my brain until I re-read this Onion story. So maybe that's why I had such a negative reaction. Like, don't teach me new words like that, Onion!